Kaori's Secret (2/3)

When lunch break neared its end, the girls and us boys separated as we headed to different parts of the academy. Starting from second year, the girls would be taking part in kunoichi classes, which from what Kaori told me, consisted of learning cultural arts such as flower arrangement and tea ceremonies that would help kunoichi blend in during infiltration missions.

Whereas the boys would be learning how to temper our rowdiness and wilder instincts through meditation sessions. Most took it as an opportunity to take a nap, but personally I used it to practice my [Meditation] skill.

As we walked to the assigned classroom for our meditation lesson, Shikamaru trailed back, glancing and motioning towards me to do the same. I stealthily slowed down my pace to match his.

"Do you know something about what happened to Kaori?" He whispered to me. The bluntness was surprising. The lazy boy was never so direct with his words.

"No. Some suspicions but nothing I can confirm." I responded.

"Hmm, me too. What are you going to do about it?"

I turned to the boy with a slight degree of curiosity, it wasn't in his pattern of behavior to concern himself so much with something that would be undoubtedly deemed as 'troublesome' for him. "I'm going to confront her after class and ask her straight up what's going on."

Shikamaru hummed in thought for a moment, "Is that the best way to go about this? She might not tell the truth. She didn't seem willing to spill the beans just then, what makes you think she will later?"

I would have agreed with him if I didn't know her as well as I did. "That was because there were too many people around. She trusts me. If I ask her when it's just the two of us, she will tell me."

Shikamaru turned to me contemplatively, "That might be true, considering your… guile."

My eyebrow was raised at his choice of words, clearly he had some choice words to say but was holding it back. "If you have something to say just say it. Beating around the bush like this is, how you say, troublesome?" It might be better just to clear the air now before his suspicions fester into outright mistrust.

The lazy genius stopped walking and held an arm out to stop me too, letting Choji who had joined in conversation with other boys heading the same direction go ahead. After making sure there was no one else around us, he sighed deeply, muttering something about troublesome people.

"You… what are you trying to do here?"

I flashed a questioning look, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You're smart. And you know I am too. So like you said we should just skip beating around the bush and get right down to it. I see you, collecting friends and surrounding yourself with the members of the most prestigious clans in Konoha. What are your intentions."

A sly smile crept on my face, "Oh, you consider your clan to be one of the most prestigious in Konoha then?"

"I'm not bragging here, it's just the facts. And don't change the subject. Answer the question."

"I don't understand what you are trying to get at, I just like making friends. Don't you?" I turned the question back to him. Shikamaru was a sharp kid, no doubt about that. In a few years he might prove to be a challenge in matching wit. But right now, with his current age and inexperience? Facing off against a person who thrived in the arena of global politics filled with deceit, hypocrisy, gaslighting and backstabbing? He was 10 years too early.

"You should know how I feel about making friends. They are more trouble than it's worth. And I find your answer dubious at best. You clearly spend more time with us than the other civilian-born kids, don't you?"

I sighed deeply, looking as though he caught on to my supposed intentions. "Well, if you must know the truth, they're annoying. The other kids I mean."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at my suddenly candid response, "Annoying? How so?"

"You know I'm at the top of the class right? And in taijutsu I'm second only to Sasuke. But ever since the… Uchiha incident… he has been way more hostile and aggressive than ever, so now the other kids flock to me for guidance. Do you realize how frustrating it can be when I'm constantly asked to help them with one simple matter or another?"

Shikamaru unconsciously nodded in agreement.

"But after a while I realized that the only ones who didn't ask for help, or at least not nearly as much as the others, were the clan members who already have a decent foundation in the basics. With you guys I didn't have to answer those inane questions. I didn't have to hold back my frustrations. So is it inconceivable to imagine that I prefer to spend time with you guys simply because you guys don't annoy me as much as the others?"

The Nara pondered over my words for a few moments, understanding the logic behind what I was saying. "I… I guess that makes sense. But then why go through all the trouble of doing all that if you don't want the other kids to bother you?"

I shrugged, "It's not like they're intentionally irritating me. And if I could help them out when they genuinely require guidance, then why not right? It would be selfish of me to ignore them just so I could feel more comfortable. Then I would be just as bad as Sasuke, y'know what I mean?"

Shikamaru thought through what I said, but still looked slightly doubtful. He just needed one more nudge to close this matter entirely.

"Look, I get that you don't trust me. I honestly don't know what I've done to earn that suspicion from you. If I ever unintentionally offended you then I apologize. But I don't think I've ever done anything to warrant your mistrust. If you're still not satisfied then just wait and watch, see for yourself if I have any ulterior motives." I offered, monitoring his expressions, which was not as well guarded as he thought it was.

"…my old man always told me that since I was the clan heir and would eventually inherit his position as the head, there might be people who approach me just to make use of that influence for their own benefit. How do I know if you're not one of them?" He said, steeling his gaze.

This brat. I've had people approaching me wanting to use my family's wealth and influence for their own benefit since I was born. If he thinks he has it hard, he has no idea how many people have tried something like that with me. I've had to at times beat people back with a metaphorical stick while they clung on to my ankles in the hopes that they could somehow benefit from me.

"Wow, that sucks." I replied with as much pity as I could muster.

He had not expected such a response as he widened his eyes, "Huh? What sucks?"

"Having to live your life like that. Being suspicious of anyone who crosses your path, needing to decipher what their intentions are or if they even have those intentions in the first place… I don't know, it just sounds like you would never be able to truly trust anyone. And if you don't trust anyone, how could you ever feel safe? It just sounds miserable to me, that's all. Ah! Sorry I didn't mean that in a bad way – just that personally I wouldn't want to live like that is all I meant. There's nothing wrong if you do. I mean, as long as you're happy, right?" I started explaining before seeming to frantically apologize for 'accidentally' insulting his way of life.

Shikamaru looked taken aback, mulling over my explanation, "I… I have people I trust. My old man, my family, Choji… But I, I see what you mean." He gazed at the floor for some time before looking back up at me.

This time, I could see that he had considered what I just said and came to some sort of realization in his mind. With some regret and guilt, Shikamaru apologized to me. "Sorry for all that. I guess I was just more protective of Choji than I thought. I can't be sure of anything yet, but I will take you up on your offer to keep watching you first before many any conclusions."

It didn't wrap up as cleanly as I wanted, but I suppose I was satisfied with the compromise.

"You can watch all you want. But just be careful not to fall for me, Shika-chan." I teased.

The Nara gagged, "You really are troublesome. I change my mind, you're definitely super suspicious." He replied jokingly.

I laughed a bit but hardened my gaze, "Jokes aside, what is suspicious are the bruises on Kaori's arms. There has to be something weird going on, and I intend to find out what."

He took in my seriousness and nodded in agreement, "I agree. Let me know what she says after you're done talking to her.

I tilted my head slightly in mock confusion, "Oh, is it not too troublesome for you to meddle in?"

Shikamaru grimaced and looked away. "Usually I would agree. But no way those bruises came from training. And I've noticed that she has been skipping some meals too, for some reason. You can say that she's a friend too, so it would just be more troublesome if I ignore it and something worse happens."

"Well, I thank you on Kaori's behalf then. She would be happy to hear she has such a concerned friend in you."

"You-! Don't do anything that troublesome, I'm just curious. That's all."

I chuckled, "Hai, hai, I know. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. And don't worry too much about this matter. If it's not as serious as we are imagining, I will deal with it myself."

"…fine. Just let me know if you need help."

I bumped his shoulder in a friendly manner while smiling, "Wow, Shika-chan has a heart after all."

"Urgh, stop, you'll make me vomit. I'm walking ahead. See ya."

"Ehh? Shika-chan I thought we were friends! Wait up!"

-----

I waited for Kaori at the academy gate after class ended. There was really only one way in or out, and I had rushed here as soon as the instructor dismissed us; right after sharing a knowing glance with Shikamaru before exiting, so there'd be no way I would miss her.

As the crowd of students slowly made their way out of the academy, I spotted who I had been waiting for. Her brown hair almost muted amongst the other sea of other similarly brunette children as she walked while staring at the floor, despondent for reasons still unknown.

I almost called out to her when I saw her turn in another direction where a familiar someone approached her.

Saeki Naoki… that punk whose ass I kicked awhile back for trying to extort money from me. How did Kaori know that wannabe thug?

But from the obvious terror in her eyes from when she spotted the guy, it was apparent that there was no love lost between them.

Naoki drew closer to the girl before wrapping his arm around her neck, his taller physique looking like it towered over her own, frail body. The act might have been misconstrued as friendly rough housing if not for the menace in his eyes as he whispered something to her and the tears that threatened to spill from hers.

The puzzle pieces clicked in to place and I instantly pieced together the so-called mystery. That scummy brat must have decided to target Kaori instead of me after getting their asses handed to them by me. Seeing that they couldn't get what they want from me, they went after her instead since she was an easier target. But why didn't just come to me in the first place? Kids are dumb as fuck.

An embryo of a plan started forming in my head. It would be easy just to confront the both of them right here and now, but was it enough? Simply preventing them from targeting Kaori this one time was simple but how long would the threat last without the physical violence enacted on them that would truly serve as an effective deterrent?

Beating them up here on academy grounds without provocation would only see myself being punished for picking a fight for no apparent reason. Even if I revealed their deeds to the instructors, I had no proof to back up my claims. So what if Kaori provided her own testimony, the opposing side would just claim that she was lying to protect me. The bruises on her could be explained away as training accidents as well, or worst, something I inflicted on her myself.

No, without more proof and sufficient evidence, they'd likely get off scot free while I would be the one who'd be punished for starting the fight in the first place. I had to catch them red handed for my claims to be taken seriously, and with a relatively objective eye-witness whose testimony might be taken as more credible.

Additionally, I also had to consider the hidden objectives of the quest. Finding out what happened and helping her was only the main objectives. There were four other hidden objectives that I wanted to fulfil before completing the quest. If I was going to help Kaori, then I might as well maximize the benefits I could receive from the quest at the same time.

I hid myself as I saw them approaching the gate. They hadn't spotted me yet as Kaori was still looking down at her feet while Naoki was sinisterly facing the downtrodden girl while keeping his arm around her neck.

My eyes darted around the campus. Chunin instructors? Inside the buildings and it would take too much time to go in, convince them of the plot and persuade them to follow me. The two of them would have been gone by the time I returned with an instructor. And while the likelihood that the instructor in question would believe me was arguably high, I didn't want to take the chance and lose them which could possibly cause me to fail the quest.

Then I spotted Shikamaru a distance away, still loitering around the academy building. I suspect he was waiting for me to give him an update on the situation. I saw that he was talking with some other clan members – Shino and Hinata. Perfect.

I snuck my way towards the three of them while still keeping an eye on Kaori and Naoki – making sure to keep them in my sight, before dropping down from the tree above the three clan members, which startled them slightly, but I managed to silence their surprised gasps with a shush and a finger on my lips.

"Shinji, what are you- have you talked to her yet?" Shikamaru started but I grabbed him by the shoulder and motioned for the other two to follow us behind the tree. They looked confused but also intrigued at what was happening.

Once we were safely behind the tree, I turned to Shikamaru, "I've figured out what's going on. How good is your stealth?"

"…decent I suppose. What are you getting at? Are you going to explain anything?" The Nara heir grunted out, trying to discern the answers from my expression.

"I agree, Ikari-san. I would like to know what is going on as well." Shino stoically said, his hands in his jacket pocket. Whereas Hinata was silently watching the exchange, but curiously leaning forward as well.

"I don't have much time. If you guys are confident in sneaking around and you trust me, then follow my lead. I will explain everything on the way."

The three of them shared a tentative look, unsure of what was going on but thankfully we were familiar enough that they hesitantly agreed to my proposal.

I thanked them for their trust and stealthily climbed up the tree that was hiding our figures from the duo. I could have performed the tree-walking exercise instead of climbing up with my hands and feet, but I saw no point in revealing the extent of my experiments with chakra for now at least.

Shino, Hinata and Shikamaru again shared another hesitant look but jointly resolve themselves to follow through with the plan.

"See that guy with Kaori?" I said as we perched on the tree branch that was surprisingly solid enough to handle our collective weight, while hidden in the shade the foliage provided us.

"Yeah?" Shikamaru acknowledged, squinting his eyes at the distant duo. Shino and Hinata nodded in assent as well.

I turned to them and scowled, "That guy is a third year student named Saeki Naoki. He is a wannabe thug. Awhile back he and his friends had ambushed me."

Shikamaru and Hinata recoiled in shock, taken aback by the shocking revelation, while Shino merely raised an eyebrow in unperturbed recognition of the news.

"S-something like that happened? Why didn't we hear anything about it?" The lazy genius questioned, this time looking back at Naoki with a different perspective.

"Yeah… they heard that I was an orphan, and that we received a decent amount of allowance from the village every month. So they threatened me and demanded me to give them 90 percent of what I received from now on."

Hinata, who was engrossed in my story, asked, "Th-then what h-happened next?"

I turned back, glowering at Kaori and Naoki who were beginning to walk out of the academy gate before motioning for them to follow me. As we stealthily manoeuvred the academy grounds while keeping out of sight from the duo, I continued my story.

"There were five of them, so I had to be cunning about it. I pretended to accept their demands, but once I was in range I surprised them with a few quick sneak attacks. I was able to instantly take down three of the biggest threats and the last remaining two were already terribly frightened and no match for me by then."

"Ikari-san, why didn't you tell the instructors what had happened? Those ruffians would have been appropriately punished for their actions." Shino asked while still following my lead.

"I didn't have any proof of their scheme. It would have just been unsubstantiated claims from my end, and I might have been the one who got in trouble since they were the ones who got injured while they didn't even touch me." I replied. "That's why I've got the three of you here with me now. You guys will be my witnesses when we catch those bastards red handed."

"I understand, Ikari-san. It was wise that you did not just jump in by yourself." Shino nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, good plan, Shinji. We got your back."

"H-hai, m-me too. We w-won't let Kaori-chan g-get hurt."

I turned back in gratitude, "Thanks guys. Hinata, if we lose sight of them I might need to trouble you to use your Byakugan to find them. Shino, you can also use your Kikaichu to keep track of them."

"H-hai!"

"Already done, Ikari-san. My Kikaichu have been on them since the moment you started telling us your story."

"Nicely done, Shino." I looked back at Shikamaru for a moment, "What do you think of the plan, Shikamaru?"

The Nara who spotted an uncharacteristic steely gaze and furrowed brows nodded, "Seems fine to me. We have two of the three best trackers in our class with us. It shouldn't be a problem following them as long as we remain unseen."

"Good."